Travelling Post Office Guatemala Oriental Railway Part 3

TRAVELLING POST OFFICE GUATEMALA PART 3 ORIENTAL RAILWAY

Yuri Vladimir Montes June 6th,2022

INTRODUCTION

In Guatemala there were 7 different train lines, which means that each of them had their own ambulantes agents and therefore their own postmarks.

Below we detail the name of each of the different lines: 1. Central Railway 2. Northern Railway 3. Occidental Railway 4. Oriental Railway 5. Ocos Railway 6. Verapaz Railway 7. Highland Railway

ORIENTAL RAILWAY

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Issue of December 28, 1929, commemorating the inauguration of the Eastern Railroad connecting Guatemala and El Salvador.

ORIENTAL RAILWAY

In 1898, President José María Reina Barrios (18921898) was assassinated. Later, one of the most nefarious characters in Guatemalan history, Manuel Estrada Cabrera (1898-1920), came to power.

In 1903 the government contracted Adolfo Benz to build the 112 km (70 miles) between Zacapa and Anguiatu (current Customs between Guatemala and El Salvador). .

This project suffered several lengthy work stoppages, bankruptcies, and contract changes before IRCA (International Railways of Central America) finally completed the line in 1929.

Aerial cover commemorating the inauguration of the Eastern Railway on December 28, 1929

ORIENTAL RAILWAY

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In commemoration of the inauguration of the Oriental Railway, this mark of December 28, 1929 appeared

Zacapa station

The Oriental Railroad crossed the departments of Zacapa, Chiquimula and Jutiapa.

ORIENTAL RAILWAY: Line train that w ent from Zacapa to Anguiatu

Zacapa station

Anguiatu

Chiquimula station

Oriental Railw ay Markings, TYPE R Its general characteristics are the following:

Guatemala Type R 1927-1946

A. Diameter 24-28mm date stamp B. Without the abbreviation "No." used for the word number in the first line of the text.

C. Text in 4 lines, ca 27-20mm This Type R has 4 known Subtypes: Subtype 1: Date stamp letters 2mm,spaces small, most without dashes between words. Use ca 1929-1936

Type R marks were used from 1927 to 1946.

They are the first date stamps with a single sequence of numbers. Each line was assigned from one to three numbers depending on the importance of each of them.

Subtype 1a: Botton 2 lines and the postmark in Roman letters (# 14 and # 15) Subtype 2: Date stamp letters 1 ¾ mm, large spaces with dashes between words, use ca 1939 onwards.

Subtype 3: Date stamp with a diameter 26mm with heavy circle, large spaces with crosses (# 16 of 1933)

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks, TYPE R ( ZACAPA/FRONTERA/GUATEMALA/C.A.)

Guatemala Type R,WITHOUT NUMBERS, Subtype 1 1931

This TYPE R is known as: ZACAPA FRONTERA GUATEMALA C.A.

Zacapa Station

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,Type R(ZACAPA/FRONTERA/REP. DE GUATEM AL A/ AM ERICA CENTRAL)

Guatemala Type R, NO NUMBERS, 1942

This TYPE R is known as: ZACAPA FRONTERA REP. DE GUATEMALA AMERICA CENTRAL

Cover circulated January 7, 1942

Oriental Railw ay Markings, TYPE S

Guatemala Type S 1934-1952

This Type S has 4 known Groups with their respective subtypes:

GROUP 1 (1934): It has Subtype 1 and 2, ca 1934-1937 GROUP 2 (March 1946): Each line has its own series of numbers, diameter ca 23mm, subtype 2 ,with dashes block of letters, 21mm high GROUP 3 (January 1949): 22mm diameter, subtype 2 with dashes, block letters 23-25X 20mm, within this there are

The Type S was the second postmark that was used for a long time, not only does it have the same Subtypes 1 and 2 of the Type R.

The numbers were reassigned again.

Variant 1: NUM for No. (16 and 17 18X18mm block of letters) Variant 2: NUMERO for No. (18 and 19) block of letters 19X20mm GROUP 4 :( November 1951) There is a new numbering, all numbers even from 16 to 19 are spelled out.

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks, TYPE S Line Name

Line Number

Year

Group 1 SG1

Group 2 SG2

Group 3 SG3

Group 4 SG4

GUATEMALA-CHIQUIMULA

11

1936

X Subtype 1

ZACAPA-ANGUIATU

1-2-3

1946

GUATEMALA-ANGUIATU

11-12-13

1949

X

ZACAPA-GUATEMALA

11-12-13

1948

X

GUATEMALA-ZACAPA-ANGUIATU

11

1951

X

GUATEMALA-ZACAPA-ANGUIATU

12

1951

X

GUATEMALA-ZACAPA-ANGUIATU

13

1951

X

X Subtype 2

Type S Group 3 Line 11

S-G3L11

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE S, GROUP 3

Guatemala Type S,Group 3, Line 11 S-G3L11 1949

Guatemala Type S, Group 3, Line 11 S-G3L11 1949

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE S, GROUP 3

Guatemala Type S,Group 3, Line 12 S-G3L12 1949

Guatemala Type S, Group 3, Line 12 S-G3L12 1949

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE S,GROUP 3

Guatemala Type S,Group 3, Line 12 S-G3L12 1950

Guatemala Type S, Group 3, Line 13 S-G3L13 1949

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks, TYPE S, GROUP 3

Guatemala Type S, Group 3, Line 13 S-G3L13 1949

Ipala Station

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE S, GROUP 3

Guatemala Type S,Group 3, Line 13 S-G3L13 1949

Ipala Station today

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE S, GROUP 4

Type S-G4L12 1951 GUATEMALA ZACAPA-ANGUIATU

Guatemala Type S, Group 4, Line 12 S-G4L12 1951

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE S, GROUP 4

Guatemala Type S,Group 4, Line 12 S-G4L12 1951

Guatemala Type S, Group 4, Line3 S-G4L13 1951

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE W1

Guatemala Type W1 1942-1946

These types of ambulantes were used from 1942, the numbered cancellers correspond to the assignments before March 1946.

Most cancellers lack numbers.

For the Eastern Railway There are 2 postmarks: GUATEMALA-ZACAPA ZACAPA-GUATEMALA

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE X

Guatemala Type X 1946-1955

The Type X ambulantes Markings seen so far are UNNUMBERED.

For the Oriental Railway There are 3 postmarks: SUBTYPE 1: Lower half circle LINE -ZACAPA-GUATEMALA SUBTYPE 2: Wavy line LINEA-GUATEMALA-ZACAPA

LINEA-ZACAPA-GUATEMALA Postmark Subtype 1

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE X

Cover circulated on May 18, 1948 with the Mark Type X, Subtype 1, LINE: ZACAPA-GUATEMALA

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE Z, GROUP 1

Guatemala Type Z-G1L11 1952 This postmark is 22.5mm in diameter and was authorized on March 1, 1952 But copies have been circulated a few days before.

Some lines received different numbers.

AMBULANTE POSTAL on the 24X27mm block

Zacapa-Anguiatu

For the GUATEMALA-Zacapa-Anguiatu line the numbers 11-12-13-14 were assigned

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE Z

Line Name

Line Number

Year

Group 1

GUATEMALA-Zacapa-Anguiatu

11

1952

X

GUATEMALA-Zacapa-Anguiatu

12

1952

X

GUATEMALA-Zacapa-Anguiatu

13

1952

X

GUATEMALA-Zacapa-Anguiatu

14

1952

X

GUATEMALA-ANGUIATU

15

1958

Zacapa-Anguiatu

Group 2

X

Type Z Group 1 Line 11

Z-G1L11

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks, TYPE EE

Guatemala Type EE 1958-1962

This postmark is 23mm in diameter.

The block of letters omits the word LINE reducing it to 3 lines, the inscription of the date stamp was simplified to AMBULANTE POSTAL, separated by hyphens

Cover circulated in Agua Blanca, Department of Jutiapa to Guatemala City in 1960

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE 1979

Guatemala Type ZACAPA-ANGUIATU #1 1979

This postmark is 30mm in diameter.

We reproduce the marking as is, after POSTAL AMBULANTE a black spot or a poorly elaborated Number 1 is observed.

Cover circulated in San José de La Arada, Department of Chiquimula to Guatemala City on April 18, 1980

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE 1979

Guatemala Type ZACAPA-ANGUIATU #2 1979

This postmark is 30mm in diameter.

We reproduce the marking as is, after AMBULANTE POSTAL the Number 2 is observed

Cover circulated in Ipala, Department of Chiquimula to Guatemala City on November 26, 1975

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE 1977-1979

Guatemala Type ZACAPA-ANGUIATU 1977-1979

This postmark is 58 X 10 mm, it is linear and known by the numbers 1 and 2, few specimens have been registered, the Zacapa - Anguiatu line was closed in 1982

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE 1977-1979

Guatemala Type ZACAPA-ANGUIATU 1977-1979

Cover circulated with ZACAPA-ANGUIATU / AMBULANTE POSTAL 1

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks, TYPE 1977 -1979

Guatemala Type ZACAPA-ANGUIATU 1977-1979

Cover circulated with ZACAPA-ANGUIATU/AMBULANTE POSTAL 1

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE 1977-1979

Guatemala Type ZACAPA-ANGUIATU 1977-1979

Cover circulated with ZACAPA-ANGUIATU/AMBULANTE POSTAL 1

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE 1977-1979

Guatemala Type ZACAPA-ANGUIATU 1977-1979

Cover circulated with ZACAPA-ANGUIATU/AMBULANTE POSTAL 2

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks,TYPE 1977-1979

Guatemala Type ZACAPA-ANGUIATU 1977-1979

Cover Circulated with ZACAPA-ANGUIATU/AMBULANTE POSTAL 2

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks, New Marking Zacapa -Chiquimula 1928

Postmark intermediate city of CHIQUIMULA

ZACAPA-CHIQUIMULA 1928

What makes this 1928 ZACAPA-CHIQUIMULA postmark unique is that a cancellation prepared for a train line for an intermediate city, in this case CHIQUIMULA, which was used for a short period of time while the main line of ZACAPA-ANGUIATU was being finished.

There are a couple of similar examples of cancellations of intermediate cities as in the case of the train line that joined ESCUINTLA and AYUTLA because that line was expanded many times, but it had not been known about the larger trunk lines that joined to Guatemala City on both coasts.

Cancellations BEFORE 1940 of the ZACAPA-ANGUIATU line are very rare in circulated envelopes.

The train line between ZACAPA and CHIQUIMULA probably had very little traffic before the complete line was completed in 1929.

Finally, the discovery of this cancellation shows how postal train services in intermediate cities existed despite having completed the main line.

Oriental Railw ay Postmarks, New Marking Zacapa -Chiquimula 1928 The interesting thing about this ZACAPACHIQUIMULA postmark is that it is dated July 30, 1928, when the ZACAPAFRONTERA marking, which is the oldest documented in Cécile Gruson's work, dates back to 1931.

In other words, it appeared 2 years BEFORE the Zacapa-Anguiatu or Oriental Railway Line was inaugurated in December 1929.

This new marking from 1928 proves that there was already a postal service before the line's inauguration.

Northern Railroad Postmark

In addition, this envelope presents another postmark from Guatemala and Puerto Barrios that belongs to the Northern Railroad, which makes it a very interesting piece.

Oriental Railw ay, BIBLIOGRAPHY

George Kenneth Clough Articles in the El Quetzal Magazine numbers 127 and 128 published in January and February 1961

Oriental Railw ay, BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Postal Markings Of Guatemala, Section 21.1-21.3 by Cécile-Gruson 2004-2007

Oriental Railw ay, BIBLIOGRAPHY, AND PHILATELIC MATERIAL

Thanks to the International Society of Guatemala Collectors for their openness and dissemination of knowledge.

Many thanks to Michael Bloom and David Reitsema for the philatelic material and illustrations.

Many thanks to David Lindwall for his explanations and patience.

Questions?

THANK YOU email:

yvmontesr@yahoo.com yurivladimirmontes@gmail.com

Old locomotive in the old Zacapa station